As the celebration party kicked off, more and more big names started showing up: Chinese-American director Ang Lee, DreamWorks mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg, horror legend George Romero, kung fu star Jackie Chan, British maestro Ridley Scott… the list went on.
Even Columbia Pictures' chairwoman Amy Pascal and MGM's distribution president Robert Levin made appearances.
Amy Pascal was a sharp, no-nonsense woman who'd climbed the ranks from secretary to a powerhouse with real clout, thanks to her bold and fiery personality. She'd once had her eye on snagging the Spider-Man rights, but Dunn swooped in and nabbed Marvel first. Later, she tried for Fantastic Four, only to get turned down by Dunn again. This time, her goal was clear: she wanted Columbia Pictures to become Legendary Pictures' second big partner.
Dunn played it coy, dodging a straight answer.
MGM, on the other hand, was a fading giant. They churned out about twenty films a year—decent output—but only the 007 and Hannibal series ever really made a splash at the box office. Plus, they'd made two colossal missteps: hiring John Woo for Windtalkers and betting big on a string of projects with Tom Cruise. Within two years, they'd likely be staring down bankruptcy.
No way Dunn was teaming up with MGM right now!
"You've been cozying up to Twentieth Century Fox, huh?" Dunn asked, slipping over to Michael Ovitz during a rare quiet moment.
A deal like this—pooled investment—was a big deal, and even Dunn couldn't call the shots alone. He had to think it through and, most importantly, show respect to his partner, Michael Ovitz.
"Yeah, I've met with Tom Rothman a few times lately. We've hit it off," Michael Ovitz said, glancing at Dunn and lowering his voice. "I know you two had some friction in the past, but… Fox has been laying low and playing nice lately."
Dunn waved it off. "No need to bring that up. I'm not about to let personal grudges mess with the company's bottom line. Legendary Pictures belongs to all its shareholders, not just me."
He wasn't putting on an act here.
Legendary Pictures had only scored Wall Street funding because Dunn staked his personal reputation on it. Sure, he and Wall Street had clashed hard before, but after a few solid collaborations, they trusted his word.
Now that Legendary was up and running in Hollywood, far from Wall Street's grip, Dunn wasn't dumb enough to tank his hard-earned cred by strong-arming the company for his own gain and screwing over the shareholders.
It wasn't worth it.
Besides, Twentieth Century Fox wasn't Disney. Even when things got heated between their companies, Fox played by the rules—standard market competition stuff. They weren't mortal enemies; there was room to patch things up.
Disney, though? Once they got mad, it was kill orders and scorched earth. They'd rather bleed themselves dry than let Dunn Films live. That kind of over-the-top feud left no room for reconciliation.
Michael Ovitz nodded, pleased with Dunn's response. "I've stepped down as CEO of AG Agency. My focus is all on Legendary now. I've done some deep digging lately and narrowed it down to two companies that fit our needs."
"Twentieth Century Fox?"
"Yup, and Universal!"
Dunn's expression shifted. "Universal's a no-go."
Michael Ovitz chuckled. "I figured you'd say that, so I never seriously considered them. My talks with Tom Rothman have been pretty smooth, though."
Dunn mulled it over for a second, then nodded. "Fox has X-Men going strong and just kicked off Planet of the Apes. They've got solid returns lined up for the next few years—definitely a better bet than Paramount or Columbia."
Michael Ovitz let out a relieved breath. "Glad you see it that way. These first two deals are gonna have Wall Street watching us like hawks. We need to deliver a killer scorecard to lock in more funding."
More funding meant a bigger footprint for Legendary in the industry!
Dunn's eyes lit up. "More funding? You mean…?"
"Exactly!" Michael Ovitz grinned, a glint of power in his eyes. "The economy's shaky right now. Tons of private equity funds are sitting on cash with nowhere to put it—some are hoarding over ten billion bucks! Film co-investment's the hot new thing, and fund managers are all over it."
Dunn narrowed his eyes. "So you're saying Legendary could score another massive cash injection soon?"
"If this second deal goes big enough, I'm confident I can close a second round of financing by March!"
"What kind?"
"Maybe senior debt, maybe mezzanine financing. Doesn't matter—what counts is the cash hitting Legendary's books!"
Dunn cracked a laugh at that.
That's Hollywood swagger for you!
Once the money's in Legendary's account, rolling through Hollywood's turf… heh, how it gets spent is up to them, right?
"Sounds good. If push comes to shove, we can even offload some management shares to sweeten the deal for investors!"
Dunn wasn't above playing hardball. As long as he kept his basic credibility intact, he'd love to see Legendary grow fast. Those measly shares? Honestly, he'd never banked on them for profit. Tech companies were the real goldmine.
His $100 million stake in Legendary? That was all about buying power and status in Hollywood!
Just then, a loud voice rang out from the entrance: "Paramount Pictures Chairman and CEO, Ms. Sherry Lansing, has arrived!"
As the host, Dunn had to go greet her. Michael Ovitz quickly wrapped up, "So, you're cool with Fox?"
Dunn grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. "Michael, you're the chairman and CEO of Legendary. I'm just a board member in name."
Michael Ovitz burst out laughing. "Sly little fox!"
"Keep it under wraps for now," Dunn said, covering his mouth and dropping his voice. "We've got a big show coming up later, and you'll need to keep these studio bigwigs happy."
Michael Ovitz raised an eyebrow, a flicker of worry crossing his face. "Dunn, don't do anything crazy!"
"Relax, I've got it under control!"
Dunn flashed a wicked grin.
Michael Ovitz felt a chill. What wild stunt was this guy cooking up now?
…
Before long, the Saw celebration party was packed with heavy hitters.
Top brass from old-school giants like Universal, Paramount, Twentieth Century Fox, Columbia, Warner, and MGM all showed up, alongside execs from rising players like DreamWorks, Lionsgate, and Legendary.
Big-name directors like George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Ridley Scott, and Clint Eastwood rolled in, dressed to the nines.
The whole event turned into a who's-who of Hollywood power players!
A little B-movie like Saw had stirred up more buzz in the industry than Spider-Man or even Titanic back in the day—an unprecedented spectacle!
Of course, anyone with a brain knew the bigwigs weren't really there to toast Saw's success. They had ulterior motives.
George Lucas was lobbying for Fox, Ridley Scott for Universal, Martin Scorsese for Paramount…
Point is, Legendary's second co-investment deal had become the prize every Hollywood titan was gunning for!
Some small-time actors at the party—like young Aussie actress Rose Byrne—didn't get the full picture and were just floored by the scene.
Rose didn't know Dunn personally but was tight with Natalie Portman. In Star Wars: Episode II, she'd stepped in for Keira Knightley as Queen Amidala's handmaiden.
She was only at the Saw party because the Aussie expat crew had insisted: "If you've got the time, you've got to show up!"
Her mentor, Cate Blanchett, had told her Dunn was tight with Australian actors. If she wanted to make it big in Hollywood, hitching her wagon to Dunn was the move.
Rose had picked up the subtext in Cate's advice.
Sleep with him?
She was young, with dreams, drive, and ambition—she wasn't about that life!
But what she saw now left her jaw on the floor!
She couldn't believe Dunn Walker, a guy around her age, had this much pull and prestige!
Hollywood's top dogs and A-list directors were swarming around him, hanging on his every word like he was calling the shots.
It was mind-blowing!
Then another announcement boomed from the entrance, and Rose's eyes sparkled, her heart pounding so hard she nearly fainted. Another mega-player had just walked in—
"Disney Chairman and CEO, Mr. Michael Eisner, has arrived!"
…
Dunn was chatting and laughing with the big shots, never running out of small talk, when the call came that Michael Eisner had shown up. The vibe in their little circle froze solid.
Michael Eisner? He was here too?
These were all industry heavyweights—they knew the bad blood between Dunn Films and Disney.
Last time, at the Spider-Man party, Eisner had crashed uninvited, made a fool of himself, and earned some serious side-eye from the industry.
Now… he was back for Saw?
What was he up to?
Going for broke?
The guy's lost it!
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